MP Glad he Missed Tamil School

From The Singapore Straits Times23rd March 2001
Ex-MP glad he missed Tamil school Children who go to such schools, which face an acute shortage of teachers and funding problems, end up as labourers, says the lawyer
By Leslie Lau IN KUALA LUMPUR
FORMER Member of Parliament M. Kulasegaran considers himself lucky.Simply because he did not go to a Tamil school.
'All those friends of mine who went to a Tamil school are now either lorry drivers, labourers or in prison,' he told The Straits Times.n Mr Kulasegaran, 44, is a lawyer working in Ipoh, and he doubts he could have read law if he had attended a Tamil school.
He grew up in a rubber estate near Lumut in Perak and was the second youngest in a family with nine children.'My father signed me up for Tamil primary school, but on the first day of school he did not turn up at home to take me there,' he said.
'My brothers then enrolled me in the English school and I escaped.'There are 520 Tamil schools in Malaysia, most of them located in plantations.Most are housed in rudimentary buildings with broken-down tables and chairs and no libraries. Many who study there do not make it even to secondary school.
The state of Tamil schools has been blamed by certain quarters for the social problems faced by the Indian community, long considered one of the most marginalised in Malaysia.
The recent racial unrest in Kampung Medan has also put some focus on the state of Tamil schools because the lack of educational opportunities has been blamed for the high crime rate and other social problems among the Indian community.
Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has described the conditions of these schools as deplorable and has asked the government for more assistance.He said that there were some schools with only two or three classrooms and there was even one where classes were conducted under a tree.
Sociologist Denison Jayasooria, of the MIC's Social Strategic Foundation, told The Straits Times: 'Generally speaking, Tamil schools cannot be solely blamed for the problems in the community.'Children from lower income families do not usually do wellacademically and many Indians are poor.'
He added that a majority of those who attended Tamil schools were from the lower income group.But he says there is a need for Tamil schools, arguing that vernacular education gave the community its identity.'I think the solution for the community lies in more affirmative action programmes irrespective of race. At least 30 per cent of the Indian community need some form of government intervention,' he said.
The MIC says Tamil schools must be improved to uplift the economically depressed community.A shortage of teachers and a lack of funding are key problems for Tamil schools, it says.Mr Kulasegaran said the problems were so acute that many Tamil school teachers did not send their own children to study there, preferring national schools where the medium of instruction is in Malay.
'There are few opportunities for anyone who goes to Tamil school. Generally speaking, these schools produce labourers,' he said.He and his elder brother are lawyers; other siblings work as lorry drivers and petty traders.
'Two of my sisters went to Tamil school and they graduated to become housewives,' he said.

No New Tamil School in 9 th Malaysia Plan

Call on Hishammuddin to make public the number and particulars of new Chinese and Tamil primary schools to be built next year under the 2007 Budget – whether it is another zero
Media Statementby Lim Kit Siang 28/9/2006

(Petaling Jaya Thursday) : Many woke up this morning feeling good that “the black clouds have disappeared” with a sense “everything is fine” when they read the front-page headline reports in the Chinese newspapers on the announcement by the Education Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein that two Chinese primary schools would be built under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP), seeming to put to rest the public outrage and disgust of the past week at the revelation by the Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar in Parliament that no new Chinese and Tamil primary would be built under the 9MP.

Why then is the DAP organizing a forum tonight about “Chinese education crisis”? Is there any Chinese education crisis?

I had announced last weekend my intention to move an unprecedented motion in Parliament when it reconvenes in November to resume its debate on the 2007 Budget – a censure motion of RM10 salary-cut not just for Education Minister but also the two Deputy Education Ministers, Noh Omar and Datuk Hon Choon Kim and the Parliamentary Secretary P. Komala Devi for their collective neglect and irresponsibility in failing to provide for the building of new Chinese and Tamil primary schools in the 2007 Budget and the Ninth Malaysia Plan to meet educational and increased enrolment needs.

Such a motion will be setting a “parliamentary record” of sorts, for up to now, a censure RM10 salary-cut had been directed at only one front-bencher but never against more than one at one time – and this motion will be directed at four front-benchers in the Education Ministry.

When I first heard the news last night that the Education Minister had announced that two Chinese primary schools would be built under the 9MP, I told myself that I would now have to reconsider whether to proceed with the unprecedented RM10 salary-cut motion against Hishammuddin, Noh Omar, Hon and Komala Devi when the Education Ministry’s RM22.2 billion estimates is debated on November 27.

Who should be thanked for Hishammuddin’s announcement? Is he Hishammuddin because we have a very enlightened and broadminded Education Minister, Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew for his recent comment on the marginalization of the Chinese in Malaysia which had created a furore among Barisan Nasional leaders or Noh Omar for his revelation in Parliament last Wednesday that no Chinese and Tamil primary schools would be built under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

I believe the person who should be thanked for forcing this issue into the public domain should be the DAP MP for Ipoh Barat M. Kulasegaran who cornered Noh Omar to reveal the Education Ministry’s Ninth Malaysia Plan agenda and turned it into a public issue.

It is the unstated policy of the Education Ministry not to build new Chinese and Tamil primary schools under the five-year plans to meet the enrolment and educational needs of school children whose parents want them to be in these schools – the only exception is when the issue is used to fish for votes during general elections with the promises of a handful of new Chinese primary schools.

However, nobody has been able in the past to get the Barisan Nasional government to publicly admit such an unstated policy, although DAP MPs had ceaselessly and untiringly tried all these years.

During the winding-up of the Ninth Malaysia Plan in April for instance, DAP MP for Bukit Mertajam Chong Eng tried to get the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to give a commitment on the number of new Chinese and Tamil primary schools under the new five-year plan, but Abdullah evaded with the vague reply that new schools would be built according to need.

A breakthrough in Parliament was achieved last Wednesday when Kulasegaran hit the jackpot and forced the truth out of Noh Omar during the winding-up of the Education Ministry in the 2007 Budget policy debate.

I have just received the Hansard of the parliamentary debate on 20th April 2006 which recorded the parliamentary exchanges over Noh Omar’s admission of the Barisan Nasional’s “unstated policy”:

“Tuan M. Kula Segaran (Ipoh Barat): Soalan saya yang spesifik yang saya bangkitkan adalah dimanakah di negara ini sekolah-sekolah baru Cina, sekolah-sekolah baru Tamil akan dibina? Saya ada bangkitkan mengenai perkara tersebut.

“Dato’ Haji Noh bin Haji Omar: Di dalam Rancangan Malaysia yang Kesembilan ini memang tidak ada. Kita dalam perancangan kita hanya memberi peruntukan-peruntukan untuk sekolah SJKT dan juga SJKC tidak ada kita perancangan untuk membuat bangunan-bangunan baru. Tetapi saya hendak beritahu Yang Berhormat peruntukan yang kita beri untuk Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan ini ialah sebanyak RM100 juta atau tiga kali ganda daripada apa yang kita peruntukkan dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kelapan. Jadi kita akan memberikan bantuan-bantuan untuk ubah suai, pembesaran dan sebagainya. Jadi saya ingat perutukan yang RM100 juta ini tahun ini sahaja untuk 2006, kita telah pun peruntukkan sebanyak RM21 juta dan senarai di mana sekolah yang hendak dibuat telah pun kita putuskan.

“Tuan M. Kula Segaran: Jadi dasar kerajaan dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan tidak ada sekolah baru Cina dan Tamil akan dibina langsung? Itulah pendirian kerajaan?

“Dato’ Haji Noh bin Haji Omar: Setakat dalam senarai yang dibawa dalam Kementerian Pelajaran tidak ada.

“Tuan M. Kula Segaran: ….Kenapa kerajaan tidak ingin membina satu sekolah baru bukan tempatd di Bercham sahaja, di seluruh Malaysia di mana ada situasi di mana ramai di antara masyarakat ingin menghantar anak mereka sekolah Tamil dan sekolah Cina.

“Macam saya telah mengatakan di seluruh Malaysia lebih kurang setiap tahun sekarang ada 20% setiap tahun kenaikan murid-murid di sekolah Tamil macam mana kita boleh ada situasi untuk mengatasi masalah ini?

“Dato’ Haji Noh bin Haji Omar: Yang Berhormat sebab itu kita kata dasar kita ialah untuk memperkasakan sekolah kebangsaan. Kita mula memperkasakan sekolah kebangsaan kita tukar sebab kita perkenalkan mata pelajaran Tamil, mata pelajaran Cina di sekolah-sekolah kebangsaan ini. Tarafnya…

“Tuan M. Kula Segaran: Sudah anak tirikan sekolah Tamil dan sekolah Cina. Itulah dasar kerajaan memperkasakan sekolah kebangsaan, anak tirikan sekolah Tamil dan sekolah Cina itu dasar kerajaan.

“Dato’ Haji Noh bin Haji Omar: Yang Berhormat kalau kita menganak tirikan sekolah Cina dengan sekolah Tamil kita tidak tambah peruntukan RMK-9 tiga kali ganda daripada RMK-8 itu pun Yang Berhormat tidak boleh hendak faham jua?

“Tuan Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh Timor): Penjelasan. Daripada tadi Yang Berhormat Timbalan Menteri kata bahawa dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kemsembilan tidak akan ada apa-apa sekolah baru sekolah Cina atau sekolah Tamil bukankah ini satu dasar yang tidak adil yang discriminatory?....Bagaimana kerajaan boleh ambil satu pendirian ini apabila ada menteri-menteri MCA, Gerakan dan MIC dalam Kabinet. Bagaimana mereka boleh bersetuju bukankah ini satu betrayal rakyat bukan sahaja kaum-kaum yang berkenaan tetapi juga betrayal kepentingan rakyat Malaysia tidak kira kaum apa-apa untuk keadilan dan kesaksamaan.

“Dato’ Haji Noh bin Haji Omar: Tuan Yang di Pertua, saya kata pembangkang ini tidak faham. Saya sudah beritahu tadi bahawa kita sudah beri keadilan. Yang Berhormat kalau beri perkara seperti seolah-olah kita memberi diskriminasi, adakah Yang Berhormat kalau betul-betul jujur dan iklhas ada 15 SJKC murid bawah 10 orang. Adakah Yang Berhormat sanggup kata tutup 10 ini?

“Tuan Lim Kit Siang: Ini perkara yang lain. Kenapa sekolah-sekolah ada classroom dengan 53, 60 orang? Mahu banding dengan sekolah-sekolah nasional, berapa? Ada sekolah-sekolah nasional yang ada classroom yang kosong. Kenapa bukankah ini satu diskriminasi? Kenapa dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan tidak akan ada sekolah baru adakah kena tunggu sehingga election baru menjadi gimmick untuk dapat pengundi-pengundi? Bukankah ini satu propanganda satu langkah satu sikap tipu helah yang tidak bertanggunjawab?”

During this exchange, MCA, MCA Youth, Gerakan and MIC MPs were present but none of them uttered a single word! They just remained bystanders!

I don’t think anyone believe the excuse given by Hishammuddin that Noh Omar did not know that two new Chinese primary schools would be built under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, as Noh Omar was not contradicted for a week – whether by Hishammuddin, Hon Choon Kim who should have known or the MCA Ministers.

Now public disappointment and even disgust have set in as it is now known that the so-called two new Chinese primary schools referred to by Hishammuddin are actually one relocated new school, SJCK Kulai (2) in Johore, which had been promised in the past seven years since before the 1999 general election and a Wawasan School, SJK© Tun Tan Siew Sin in Putra Heights, Selangor.

This is just not good enough. In the March/May meeting of Parliament, Hishammuddin had said that the Education Ministry had finalized the full list of education development projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. He had said in a written answer:

“Dalam RMK-9, Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (KPM) telah merancang projek sekolah baru, tambahan dan gantian bilik darjah di kawasan yang padat penduduk. Walau bagaimanapun, pelaksanaan projek-projek tersebut adalah tertakluk kepada kelulusan peruntukan mengikut keperluan dan keutamaan KPM.”

I call on the Education Minister to make public:

The full list of school development projects planned for the Ninth Malaysia Plan; and

The number and particulars of the new Chinese and Tamil primary schools to be built next year under the 2007 Budget, or whether it is another zero.

When Abdullah became Prime Minister, he had promised an open, accountable and transparent government. If Hishammuddin is committed to Abdullah’s pledge of open, accountable and transparent governance, he should have no problem in responding positively to my two calls.

When this forum was organized, the focus was actually on the Hishammuddin-Ong Tee Kiat kerfuffle over the expose of abuses of funds in school repairs as in the case of the SJKC Kung Yu where only RM3,000 worth of work had been done in a RM30,000 school repair project – or the pocketing of up to 90% of development allocations.

In the first place, what business had the Higher Education Minister, Datuk Mustapha to apologise for his deputy minister when Ong had consistently maintained that he had not done anything wrong. Mustapha should withdraw his apology to Hishammuddin on behalf of Ong, as it was made without Ong’s consent or subsequent endorsement.

It is most shocking that the Ministry of Internal Security had directed all Chinese media to stop publishing exposes of similar abuses of public funds and leakages in other Chinese primary schools, resulting in news report about similar abuses of public funds in the repairs for SRJKC Sin Bin in Klang, Selangor being blacked out in the Chinese press on Monday’s morning edition after it was given prominent treatment in the previous day’s evening edition.

Online Chinese media, Merdeka Review, had published an exclusive of the warning letter by the Internal Security Ministry to the Chinese media imposing a clampdown on reports about abuses of school repair funds.

The letter, titled “Penyiaran Berita Mengenai Isu Timbalan Menteri Tinggi, Datuk Ong Tee Keat”, read:

“2. Kementerian Keselamatan Dalam Negeri ingin menarik perhatian tuan berhubung penyiaran berita rencana serta ulasan akhbr-akhbar harian berbahasa Cina arus perdana tempatan mengenai isu Timbalan Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Ong Tee Keat berhubung peruntukan sekolah jenis kebangsaan Cina (SJKC).

“3.Berdasarkan kepada pemerhatian Kementerian ini, isu ini telah disiarkan dan diperbesarbesarkan oleh pihak akhbar sehingga menimbulakan salah faham dan mengelirukan pembaca sedangkan perkara ini telah pun selisai berikutan Menteri Pengajian Tinggi YB Datuk Mustapha Mohamed telah memohon maaf kepada Menteri Pelajaran YB Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

“4. Pendekatan pihak akhbar memanipulasi dan mengsensasikan isu ini adalah dikhuatiri boleh mewujudkan kesangsian dan kehilangan keyakinan rakyat dan masyarakt terhadap Kerajaan dalam menyelesaikan masalah rakyat. Sehubungan itu, Kementerian ini ingin mendapatkan kerjasama daripada akhbar tuan agar dengan serta-merta berhenti daripada membangkitkan isu berkenaan.

“5. Kerjasama dan sokongan tuan dalam perkara ini amatlah dihargai dan diucapkan ribuan terima kasih.”

The Chinese press had no choice but to toe the line to “co-operate” with the directive of Internal Security Ministry to “immediately” stop publishing such reports,

This is an unprecedented and intolerable interference by the Internal Security Ministry with press freedom, especially in the era of Abdullah premiership which had promised a government which is prepared to “hear the truth” from the people, the restoration of the lost freedom and fundamental rights of the previous Mahathir administration and an all-out war against corruption, abuses of public funds and all forms of malpractices.

The government should be encouraging the press to expose all other cases of hijacking of public funds as in the case of the SJKC Kudng Fu, but also all other development projects in view of the mammoth development allocations of RM220 billion under the Ninth Malaysia Plan to help fight corruption and abuses of public funds, and not to impose a blackout of such exposes by the press.

The Internal Security Ministry letter was signed by Che Din bin Yusoh on behalf of the Ministry Secretary-General Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof. Disciplinary action should be taken against Che Din or Abdul Aziz or both for straying into matters completely outside their purview and violating the Prime Minister’s public commitment for a free press and a clean and incorruptible government. I will pursue this matter when Parliament reconvenes.

A Parliamentary Roundtable will be held in Parliament next Wednesday, 11th October, 2006 on the subject of “New Chinese/Tamil primary schools under Ninth Malaysia Plan”. The Parliamentary Roundtable co-ordinator is Chong Eng MP for Bukit Mertajam. All political parties, educational bodies and NGOs concerned about education will be invited to the Parliamentary Roundtable.

We should make clear to the Barisan Nasional government that new Chinese and Tamil primary schools should be built according to need – but it must be the educational and increased enrolment needs for these schools and not the political or electioneering needs of the Barisan Nasional parties.

(28/09/2006)

Pasupathy EWRF Parents

Tamil education has its merits
By Sharon Nelson
"NO Minister, Deputy Minister or Parliamentary Secretary sends their children to Tamil school," says lawyer S. Pasupathi, lamenting the poor show of confidence in Tamil education.
"And among lawyers, I can safely say that only 10 in the whole of Malaysia send their kids to Tamil school," says the 43-year-old, who is also the vice-president of the Education, Welfare and Research Foundation (EWRF), an educationrelated NGO.
This is the sorry state of Tamil education today. Forty-five years after Independence, Tamil schools remain bereft of resources, lagging behind the national and Chinese school systems.
Their failure to inspire faith has given rise to endless debate about whether or not they should be closed down.
In a recent NST online poll, 55.95 per cent of those who voted said that "Indian parents see no future in (Tamil education), preferring a more rounded national education".
Only 36.05 per cent saw Tamil education as a necessary part of the whole system.
Indeed for decades, the case for closure seemed strong. But today, there are new thinkers and movers who genuinely and vehemently believe in the merits of the system. "Just look at the UPSR results," says Pasupathi.
In national schools, he says, the pass rate for Science is 77.8 per cent. Chinese schools come in at 85.1 per cent with Tamil schools only a little behind at 82.6 per cent. The trend is similar in Mathematics and English.
"There is hope in Tamil schools. If anyone says otherwise, I can challenge them," says Pasupathi who himself attended a Tamil school in Batu Arang. "When you learn the mother tongue, you learn the cultural aspects of your race. I believe it moulds you to be a better person, a better citizen. "Six years of solid Tamil education was the best thing my parents could have done for me. It gave me confidence. "My first degree was in chemical engineering. Then I did law, and then a Masters in law. Basic Tamil education is so versatile that you can fit in anywhere." His is no idle boast. Pasupathi is one of the few middle-class parents who insist on a Tamil primary education for their children. So do S. Thiagarajan, an assistant manager in a multinational corporation, and his wife, a doctor. Their daughters attend a Tamil school in Sungai Siput, Ipoh where Thigarajan is chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association.
"Most of the teachers in a national school are Malay. I am not confident that they can motivate my children, and I don't want Indian children to be neglected." Tamil schools, he claims, are under constant scrutiny from the community which pressures them into improvement. "You don't see that with national schools. No one wants to comment on them." One of the main arguments for the closure of Tamil schools is the perceived uselessness of the language.
But many believe that Tamil can be a powerful political and economic tool. "I was told that Tamil is now the third most widely-used language on the Internet, after English and Chinese," says Kumar Menon, Senior Director (Special Projects) of Stamford College Berhad.
"And this may be wishful logic, but there is also a theory that the Tamil language is similar in structure to computer programming languages, which may be why South India has produced so many programmers." Menon also cites Anthony Giddens, the director of the London School of Economics who in his book The Third Way, said that the South Indian community is the only one on the world to have leapfrogged from an agrarian economy to a communications or knowledge-based economy without going through the industrial stage.
Yet, numerous problems persist.
"Are Tamils schools positioned in such a way as to serve the social, cultural and econonmic requirements of the Indians? The answer is clearly 'No'," says Menon.
The first step is to rid the link between Tamil schools and the colonial past. Chinese schools were developed by the community, but Tamil schools, he says, sprang from rubber estates by way of concession by the estate owner.
"To a large extent, it was an extension of the workplace, a place to hold the child until he was 10 or 11 and ready to help his parents. Its foundation is not educational." Another major obstacle is the background of Tamil school-goers.
"The only issue surrounding Tamil schools, which the Government is very well aware of, is the socio-economic situation of the children," says Pasupathi.
He says that studies conducted by the Ministry of Education on the poor performance at Tamil schools found that most of the children came from a socially and economically backward environment. This affected their health, their physical needs and naturally, their academic attainment. "See, 60 per cent of (527) Tamil schools are 'Sekolah Bantuan Modal', which means that only the teachers' salaries are paid for by the Government. Anything else - renovations, repairs and so on - goes back to the community. "And who is the community?" he demands. "They can't raise the money.
"I believe in basic education," he continues. "No computers because they're not going to add anything at the moment. First, you have to understand that C comes after B and before D." Given that most Tamil school children are unlikely to have computers at home, IT lessons would only widen the gap between the middle-class and the poor.
"My daughter has a computer, but what? You expect 40 other children to compromise and sit through computer classes because of her?" The same goes for the new MIC science and medical college.
"I don't know where the leaders have their brains. Instead of building a medical school for RM430 million, use some of that to rehabilitate Tamil schools.
"How many Tamil school children can afford a medical degree? Just give me 10 per cent of (the money) and five years, don't disturb me. I can turn them around." The main problem (with Tamil schools) says Sathish Ramachandran, a lawyer and volunteer with EWRF, is "very bad allocation of resources from the Government and the community.
"The two result in a situation where hundreds of Tamil schools don't even have blackboards, chalk, tables and chairs, and proper roofs." But lawyer Datuk Dr M. Thambirajah who has been in the field of Tamil education for over 20 years, is undaunted. Thambirajah is also founder of the Sri Murugan Centre (SMC), an education-related NGO, with 225 help centres all over the country.
Like Pasupathi, he attributes poor performance to the fact that the "children come from poorer backgrounds where there is not much emphasis on education".
"I believe that the child sitting in Tamil school has the fire, the innate ability to reach the same results as a middle-class child.
"The major difference is that Tamil school parents leave education entirely to the teachers. Urban parents take more interest in their child's education, and they have tuition and excellent bookshops to support them." It places a great deal of responsibility on teachers, but Thambirajah believes they should rise to the occasion.
"People have blamed the lack of facilities. That's fairly important but not crucial.
"As long as there is a classroom and children, the teacher and headmaster who work intently can produce better-educated children." But reality bites into the ideal. Few teachers are able to spare the kind of effort and time it takes to beat the odds. For this reason, Thambirajah believes that the role of the rural teacher should be re-defined, and he or she should be justly rewarded.
"They should take some interest in the pupils outside class, see who they mix with and help them to occupy their free time in an enjoyable way. "If they have to make home visits, then (the Government should) pay them for it. "They need proper incentives, like avenues for promotions, extra pay for extra classes and extra curricular activities. "Don't have rigid urban standards for Tamil schools - you must factor in the social problems and extra responsibility.
As with most things, money can make a huge difference. "Pay teachers to conduct additional classes in Science, Mathematics, English and Malay to make them as good as mainstream students. In Chinese schools, teachers get paid extra if they work after 2pm," says Pasupathi. "If the children stay back after school, they may not have money to buy lunch, so provide money to the canteen to give them food." Perhaps the most important contribution is the one that must come from middle-class Indians, members of the community who have the resources to make a difference.
"If they want a dignified position in society, than they have a moral obligation to help the poorer members of the community," says Pasupathi. The main thing, he says, is to "reach out and touch them in whatever way you can.
"You can never tell what effect you're going to have.
"When I was in Standard 5, this man showed me a photograph of himself standing in front of a college in Britain wearing winter clothes.
"He told me it was in Birmingham. This was in 1968. "I remember thinking to myself, 'One day I want to go there.' "Twenty years later I did, and I stood in front of what I remembered to be the same building."

Tamil School Problem & Education Act 1995

Tamil school problems
By S. Indramalar and Hariati Azizan
The Star Sunday, March 12, 2000
BEING the poor neighbour can be very disheartening. When you have to attend classes in a run-down school while your peers less than a kilometre away are enjoying a spanking new building, life seems rather unfair.
Instead of having access to a large field, a school hall, science laboratories and a computer laboratory, the pupils of a Tamil (estate) school (located in the Klang Valley) have to cope with the bare necessities.
The school has an enrolment of 500 students but no field, no laboratory or library, staff room for teachers or even proper toilets for students. This is not uncommon, though. Most Tamil schools face the same problem. In fact, many are worse off -- no canteen, no proper roofing, and sometimes, no classrooms even.
"It is very demotivating. Both the students and we teachers feel quite dispirited when we see the big disparity between the two schools.
"Our classrooms are separated by plywood. There are only two toilets for the 500 students and there is no field for sports.
"The premises were only meant to be temporary," lamented headmaster P. Sreetharan (not his real name) who does not want his school to be disclosed either.
Not enough funds
Established at the turn of the century with the setting up of plantations around the country, estate schools were meant to provide minimal education for children of immigrant labourers.
In the colonial period, these "schools" were just huts with broken furniture and untrained teachers, often clerks doubling up as teachers.
Unfortunately, not much progress has been achieved since then. Currently, there are 530 Tamil schools in Malaysia, of which 360 are estate schools, with a track record of being backward.
While their urban counterparts moan about the lack of computers, these estate schools grapple with fundamental problems.
The crux of the problem is the status of these schools. As they are located on private estate land, they fall under the "model school" category which means that they are only partially aided by the Government.
Under the Education Act 1995, schools located on private land are not eligible for a full grant from the Government. As a result, these schools are forced to source their own funds for their basic infrastructure, including additional classrooms.
Sreetharan, a Tamil school teacher for more than 30 years, feels the Government should not discriminate between national and national-type schools when it comes to funding.
"It's been more than 40 years since independence. I do not see why there should be a difference. Although ours is still regarded as an estate school, we are no longer in an estate.
"The Government should look after the infrastructure of all schools equally. All schools should receive full aid from the Government.
"It appears that the national schools are favoured while we (Tamil schools) are like the stepchildren," he says.
This Catch 22 situation creates alearning environment which is not conducive, with the lack of adequate infrastructure and sufficient basic facilities.
MIC education bureau chief Datuk Dr A. Marimuthu concurs, adding: "The obvious solution is for the community to buy the land but it is too poor. The Government needs to review its policy. If other acts can be amended, why not the Education Act?"
The cramped conditions and poor facilities, Sreetharan adds, ultimately work against the students.
"Who feels like studying in an environment like this?" he says.
In a recent report, 22 national-type Tamil medium primary schools in Selangor recorded no passes in the last year's Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR).
Dr Marimuthu urges the Education Ministry to look into the matter.
"This is serious as it indicates a failure in all subjects. Although the research was conducted only in Selangor, I am sure it reflects the rest of the country," he says.
Tamil schools in general perform poorly compared to the national and Chinese schools.
This is an inherent problem particularly among estate schools.
"These are underachieving schools that have the potential to improve but due to lack of opportunity and motivation and the prevalent bad conditions, they are not able to reach their full potential," he adds.
The odds are against these children who come from poor homes and study at poor schools.
Teacher shortage
The pathetic state of Tamil education is worsened by the shortage of trained teachers. It was reported last August that there were vacancies for more than 1,000 teachers in Tamil schools.
A ministry official confides that temporary teachers are recruited to overcome the problem -- Tamil schools have the highest number of temporary teachers.
The shortage problem is further intensified by the decrease in the number of candidates sitting for Tamil in SPM and PMR.
"Not many have a good command of Tamil unless they've been to Tamil school themselves. The ministry needs to make Tamil a compulsory subject for SPM to increase the number of potential teacher trainees for Tamil medium schools," says Dr Marimuthu.
Family background
Sixty-five percent of Indian families are from the working class with 20% working as plantation workers.
"The parents are unable to provide sufficient motivation for their children, or act as education role models for them. Schools are supposed to compensate for the lack of facilities at home and the deficiencies in their lives, but what happens when the schools are poor?," argues Dr Marimuthu.
Many of these children are poor and malnourished, he adds, making it difficult for them to concentrate in class.
Many of the pupils lose interest in school, and some eventually drop out. A few are even forced to leave school and work to help their family.
Struggling from the start
Estate children are further disadvantaged at entry level. Most do not have pre-school basic education when they enter primary school. The limited exposure to basic literacy skills handicaps the progress of these pupils in primary school.
Their comprehension of certain subjects such as Geography and History is poor, partly due to their isolation in the estate.
"Even the simple task of writing a composition is difficult," says Dr Marimuthu.
The lack of commitment from parents, says Sreetharan, is another problem.
"Most of the parents are labourers . . . both parents work and so they have little or no time to revise with their children.
"Often they do not even know about their children's performance in school. Because of this, weaker students tend to get left behind and lose interest.
"If the child is from a poor family and receives no family support, it will be difficult for him to cope in school," he says.
In full agreement is teacher G. Revathi.
"Some parents are not even aware when their children are not at school for weeks on end. In fact, some of them encourage their children to go out and do odd-jobs to add to the family income.
"I have a handful of students who for the past year, have come in to class only two or three times each week.
"If the parents are not committed, the teacher's job is near impossible," she says.
Aid on the way?
The Education Ministry has given assurance that it will improve the poor academic performance in Tamil schools. Proposals include appointing a supervisor for Tamil schools in each state.
A spokesperson from the Education Ministry says this will monitor the standard of teaching and implementation of the curriculum.
"Primary education should be made compulsory and meaningful to estate children. Secondly, the ministry needs to ensure that the curriculum addresses the needs of the estate environment."
More importantly, he stresses, a revamp of Tamil school education is necessary: "These schools need financial independence. The ministry needs to look into converting all Tamil schools into fully aided ones."
In the meantime, the MIC is helping the Indian community help themselves. One strategy is to gather Tamil school heads and teachers for courses and seminars to boost the quality of Tamil education by providing them with new knowledge and skills, new ways of thinking, new methods of teaching and learning.
Parents are the third target group. Meetings and seminars are held to increase parents' involvement in all areas which is essential to enhance the children's development.
As Dr Marimuthu sums it up: "Estate culture must change. Education must be set as the main priority. The estate community must be aware that education is its responsibility."

Bukit Jalil Tamil School

Malaysiakini.com
Learning amidst the dead
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz Nov 23, 07 12:38pm
Children who will be attending a Tamil primary school in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, in the near future may mistake their alma mater for a horror movie set.
MCPXThis is because the school is slated to be constructed in the midst of not one, but numerous cemeteries several times its size. Shuddering at the thought, Bukit Jalil estate resident V Loudesmary said she does not understand how the authorities can imagine children going to school under such circumstances. Loudesmary, who attended the estate’s present SRJK Ladang Bukit Jalil more than 30 years ago, said the land allotted for the new school was inadequate for children. This is in addition to the overwhelming presence of Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian cemetaries contained in the proposed development plan for Bukit Jalil estate, she added. “The land planned for the school is too small and it is surrounded by cemeteries. Where are the children supposed to play?” she asked when contacted yesterday. “Do they expect them to just come to school, stay in their classrooms, and go straight home after that?”

Development plan

According to Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) development plan for Bukit Jalil estate, the new SRJK Ladang Bukit Jalil will share grounds - measuring a total of 0.404 hectares - with a Hindu temple.

On one side of the temple/school is a Hindu cemetary that is slightly bigger at 0.43 ha, while the other side will be occupied by Christian cemetary measuring 0.49 ha. To the east and south, there will be Buddhist cemetery measuring 3.28 ha and a Muslim cemetery measuring 5.69. This is in addition to another Muslim cemetary measuring 3.9 ha adjacent to the Buddhist cemetary. The smaller Muslim cemetary is believed to be part of the temporary detention centre planned for Bukit Jalil which will replace the overcrowded Kuala Lumpur Remand Centre formerly known as Pudu Jail. Loudesmary’s concerns are the latest among the residents who have been in distress since the government’s acquisition of the estate land in July 1980 for the purposes of development. While the rubber trees have made way for the ultra-modern Bukit Jalil Sports Complex and the equally impressive Bukit Jalil Golf Club, the estate residents face eviction and the demolition of their houses by DBKL.

Better treatment

Their refusal to move out - some of them have lived in the estate for up to 60 years in houses given to them by the British during colonial times - has led to their being labelled squatters by DBKL. Although DBKL has offered to relocate them to a nearby low-cost public housing project (PPR), the residents argue that their decades of service tapping rubber - including, at one point, for DBKL itself - qualifies them to better treatment and compensation. Having ultimately agreed to move to the PPR flats last August, bureaucratic complications have led to a further delay to their relocation. The residents who have not already moved are still waiting to receive DBKL’s letters of offering to occupy the flats.
While that has yet to be resolved, the residents were visited by DBKL officers on Tuesday and reminded that their houses would be demolished as stipulated in notices issued on July 14 and 16 this year. The residents’ spokesperson S Thiakarajan said the reprieve granted to them by DBKL had expired. The officers made their rounds on Tuesday to tell residents the demolition exercise would occur Nov 22.
However, DBKL seems to have put off the demolition after DBKL was informed that an appeal had been lodged with the office of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. “We don’t know how long we can continue holding them off. We hope to receive a reply from Abdullah’s office soon,” said Thiakarajan when contacted.

Pahang

Tamil Schools in Pahang

SJK (T) Bandar Indera Mahkota	Telephone:	6095511641
Bandar Indera Mahkota	Female:	187
25200 Kuantan	Male:	174
Pahang
SJK (T) Ladang Jeram	Telephone:	019-9167235
Peti Surat No.278	Female:	18
25990 Kuantan	Male:	14
Pahang
SJK (T) Ladang Kuala Reman	Telephone:	6095431220
Jalan Sg Lembing	Female:	19
26090 Kuantan	Male:	28
Pahang
SJK (T) Jerantut	Telephone:	609-2671885
Jalan Benta	Female:	57
27000 Jerantut	Male:	56
Pahang
Srjk(T) Ladang Selborne	Telephone:	199671918
Sjk (T) Ladang Selborne,	Female:	25
27100 Padang Tengku	Male:	34
Pahang
SJK (T) Kuala Lipis	Telephone:	93125150
Jalan Dato' Mahmud, Sg.Kerpan	Female:	24
27200 Kuala Lipis	Male:	30
Pahang
SJK (T) Ladang Budu	Telephone:	NA
Ladang Budu 2	Female:	11
27300 Benta	Male:	10
Pahang
SJK (T) Ladang Benta	Telephone:	009-3239664
Srjk(T) Ladang Benta,	Female:	59
27300 Kuala Lipis	Male:	67
Pahang
SJK (T) Ladang Gali	Telephone:	09-3659663
Dong,Raub	Female:	12
27400 Dong	Male:	15
Pahang
SJK (T) Raub	Telephone:	6093551994
Jln Tengku Abdul Samad,	Female:	141
27600 Raub	Male:	142
Pahang
SJK (T) Ladang Cheroh	Telephone:	09-3698155
Ladang Cheroh	Female:	40
27620 Cheroh	Male:	41
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Tekal	Telephone:	92862605
Jalan Ke Kuala Krau	Female:	39
28050 Kuala Krau	Male:	35
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Karmen	Telephone:	6092448089
Ladang Karmen	Female:	14
28200 Mengkarak	Male:	20
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Menteri	Telephone:	6092557062
Triang	Female:	74
28300 Triang	Male:	79
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Kemayan	Telephone:	6092407681
Ladang Kemayan	Female:	61
28380 Kemayan	Male:	52
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Mentakab	Telephone:	NA
Ladang Mentakab,Jalan	Female:	32
28400 Mentakab	Male:	33
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Edensor	Telephone:	NA
No. Peti Surat 55, Jalan Karak	Female:	28
28400 Mentakab	Male:	33
Pahang
SJK (T) Mentakab	Telephone:	92781392
SJK (T) Bandar Mentakab, Jalan	Female:	341
28400 Mentakab	Male:	353
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Semantan	Telephone:	NA
Ladang Semantan	Female:	30
28400 Mentakab	Male:	33
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Yeow Cheng Luan	Telephone:	NA
Ldg Yeow Cheng Luan, Jalan	Female:	37
28407 Mentakab	Male:	29
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Bee Yong	Telephone:	NA
Ladang Bee Yong	Female:	38
28409 Mentakab	Male:	30
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Lanchang	Telephone:	NA
Ladang Lanchang	Female:	20
28500 Lanchang	Male:	30
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Kawang	Telephone:	NA
Lanchang	Female:	35
28500 Lanchang	Male:	47
Pahang
SJK (T) Ladang Renjok	Telephone:	92399982
Sjk (T) Ladang Renjok	Female:	89
28600 Karak	Male:	70
Pahang
SJK (T) Karak	Telephone:	92311431
Sjk (T) Karak,	Female:	152
28600 Karak	Male:	162
Pahang
SJK (T) Ladang Telemong	Telephone:	92314124
Sjk (T) Ladang Telemong	Female:	32
28620 Karak	Male:	35
Pahang
SJK (T) Bentong	Telephone:	92225322
Jalan Chamang	Female:	135
28700 Bentong	Male:	140
Pahang
SJK (T) Lurah Bilut	Telephone:	92375421
Lurah Bilut, Pahang Dm	Female:	30
28800 Lurah Bilut	Male:	25
Pahang
SJK (T) Tanah Rata	Telephone:	6054914191
Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands	Female:	51
39000 Tanah Rata	Male:	49
Pahang
SJK (T) Ladang Blue Valley	Telephone:	6054983007
Ladang Blue Valley ,Cameron	Female:	55
39007 Tanah Rata	Male:	50
Pahang
SJK (T) Kuala Terla	Telephone:	6054983133
SJK (T) Kuala Terla,Tanah	Female:	62
39010 Tanah Rata	Male:	61
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Sg Palas	Telephone:	6054961979
Ladang Sungai Palas	Female:	11
39100 Tanah Rata	Male:	11
Pahang
SJK (T) Ladang Boh (2)	Telephone:	6054931058
Sjk T Ladang Boh 2 Cameron	Female:	47
39200 Ringlet	Male:	51
Pahang
SJK (T) Shum Yip Leong	Telephone:	6054958521
Sjk(T)Ldg Shum Yip Leong	Female:	9
39200 Ringlet	Male:	13
Pahang
SJK (T) Ringlet	Telephone:	6054958509
S.J.K (Tamil) Ringlet,Ringlet	Female:	56
39200 Ringlet	Male:	47
Pahang
SJK (T) Ldg Boh (1)	Telephone:	6054931210
SJK (T) Ladang Boh 1.	Female:	7
39200 Ringlet	Male:	4
Pahang
SJK (T) Bukit Fraser	Telephone:	NA
Bukit Fraser.	Female:	6
49000 Raub	Male:	4
Pahang